Concealed Carry

bigdogdewey2 wrote:

Ok.so today I took the concealed carry class. I'm finally done with that..now all I have to.do is go to the shire Reeves office and do their part of the process...than wait ...and wait...and wait...

And then, if what I've read recently was true , the last thing you'll have to do is procure a firearm!

lol...yes thats correct...lol

ok I read the first post and didn't read the six pages so forgive me. I conceal everywhere I go. Paranoid!? No I would rather call it prepared. In today's society there is to many stories of ppl wiishing they had a gun or not living to say they wish they were prepared. I carry a 9mm Springfield xdm because I can deliver fast accurate shots. (efficiency) Dealing with recoil on a big 45 and missing shots under stressed conditions doesn't prove well to me. I do carry a Sig .40 on many occasions aswell.

MCRobertson wrote:

ok I read the first post and didn't read the six pages so forgive me. I conceal everywhere I go. Paranoid!? No I would rather call it prepared. In today's society there is to many stories of ppl wiishing they had a gun or not living to say they wish they were prepared. I carry a 9mm Springfield xdm because I can deliver fast accurate shots. (efficiency) Dealing with recoil on a big 45 and missing shots under stressed conditions doesn't prove well to me. I do carry a Sig .40 on many occasions aswell.

I hear that! Just curious, do you carry the full-size XDm? If so, any complaints? I'm leaning towards getting full-size, but still want to consider ease of concealment.

the xdm is 4.25". It is a little big and i will probably buy a m&p 3.8 or springfield 3" to start to carry. Look at the Crossbreed holsters....Suuuuuuper nice holsters and the inside the waist bands are comfortable even though it's hard to believe. M&P are nice also I just can't carry that. It's a 5" model and I have the trigger down to 3lbs. so don't carry. Most of the time I'll use the factory xdm holster although it's not as comfy. Easier on and off.

I looked into M&P, and they are real nice too... but my hand fits perfectly into the XDm design. Those Crossbreed holsters look awesome!

DamnItsAGlasgow wrote:

I looked into M&P, and they are real nice too... but my hand fits perfectly into the XDm design. Those Crossbreed holsters look awesome!

Ive got a Crossbread holster for my Glock 27 and absolutely love it!

im eventually going to get the M&P .40C...fits my hand like a glove...

I like the xdm and the mp....hard to beat either of those. I like many brands but they seem to be the best for operation for me. I have taurus,ruger,sig,and had a beretta but I would rank the xd and mp at the top of all of those.....that is not saying that other brands don't make nice stuff it just means I prefer those.

well i cant (more like i wont) carry my H&K USP.45...just too damn big...lol...im also just a huge fan of the .45 round...kinda like "the thing" from the "Fantastic Four"...big, slow, but one hell of a punch...so its a bit of a compromise on my part to drop to the .40...i know i know...its not that much of a drop as far as size...but still it is a drop ballistically...i thought about the M&P .45...but it is noticeably "fatter" than the .40 and 9mm (basically the same frame)...i know alot of folks on here are particular to their Ruger LCPs and such...while fantastic as far as concealment i just dont trust the smaller caliber (although i really like the S&W .380 Body Guard)i have gone back and forth on this going from the XD, the Glock27 not a fan at all of ..,even the Walther P99AS compact...and every time i do it i just come right back to the M&P....if i could afford it i would have another H&K...P2000 subcompact

Hard to beat the balistics of the 45 without a doubt. I'm more efficient with the 9mm on timed shots and placement. .380 are great for a pocket gun, my wife has the Sig p238 .380 she carries although the trigger could be better.I would venture to say that in most cases any caliber would end the conflict to save yourself on someone your trying to protect, either lethal or wound to the point the motive was lost. Keltec made a PMR which is a 30 round .22 mag pistol. (standard size) Sounds pretty sweet.

I carry a Bersa .380 THunder plus, 15 rounds in the mag. The .380 is now approved as a primary cary weapon for FBI field agents. This came about with the advent of better rounds such as the Hornady critical defense.

The Bera is a very comfortable weapon in my (huge) hand and is still narrow even with the double stack. It is basically a copy of the Walther PPK.

I love the .45 ACP but reality is that it is just too big for concealed carry, in my opinion.

I had a standard Bersa .380 years ago and regret that sell. Only gun I have ever sold and regret it ever since. They do make some small framed .45....XDS by springfield is nice. But you do have the added recoil.

Like i said in previous posts i am interested in the .40 M&P..compact...can anyone give some reasons why this shouldnt be the gun i want to carry...? i just want to get some "second" opinions...im pretty gun savy...i jsut want maybe a devils advocate kind of thing..

A few thoughts...

.380 is a great self defense round in the hands of someone that can shoot...(which should be everyone carrying a gun, but rarely is, training is important, practice is critical).

Another common argument surrounding .380 is what ammo to use. IMO, since most shoot .380 out of short to very short barrels, you really get much better performance out of ball (copper jacket) than any kind of hollowpoint. You just cant get enough "ummpf" behind a round out of a less than 3" barrel to really capitalize on a hollowpoint, or many believe. I know someone that carries a Ruger LCP with Fiocchi 92gr roundnose that will slap kill a bad guy as fast as a 230gr .45, at least in his hands.

The hardest part of a handgun to conceal is the grip. For the most part, the barrel, 6" or 2" is going to ride basically up and down in your britches or in the holster along your body.

The grip however is what is going to print if anything. A 1911 isnt hard to conceal because the barrel is 5", its because the grip is 5.25" in height. Something to keep in mind.

I really like the Kimber CDP Compact. It has the 4" barrel of the Pro Series, and the short (4.75") height of the Ultra Series. Still have good sight radius, critical for accuracy at anything but "bad breath" distance, yet easily concealable grip. Somewhat pricy, but can be had, non-series II, used in great shape online for under a grand...what price for security?

The G19 is also a wonderful weapon. Not terribly expensive. Can replace every part in it for the cost of a pack of smokes almost. Pull the trigger it is going to go bang (until people start messing with springs...cant leave a good thing alone). 9mm, killing bad guys world wide for decades, cheap, and you can carry alot.

Its hard to say what gun is going to fit in your hand, shoot well in your hand, and conceal well on your body. Dont trust the guy in the gun rag or the internet, go to the gun range, shoot it and put it in your britches and do "gyrations" to see if you feel like its hidden, or if it feels like its a huge growth that everyone is pointing at and talking about...its your a@# if you ever have to pull it out.

Last comment, literally the majority of people with a concealed carry almost NEVER carry because they're worried about it printing, or its uncomfortable, or inconvienent...so a .380 in your hand at the moment of need is better than a hand cannon in the safe at home...try and get something you'll actually carry.

Very informative Paul! Your last paragraph is the very reason I bought the Ruger LCP .380. I figured that on me at all times was much more productive then the Glock 27 at home.

Well said Paul...i agree with you on all points..specifically like Derek the last paragraph...thus the reason i cant carry the .H&K .45..just too big..but also the reason i am leaning heavily towards the M&P .40 compact...and still on the fence about the M&P .380 bodyguard...

on another note i want to say something about training and what i saw this past weekend at the range for the shooting portion of the CCW class...two ladies in the class...one had bought a gun apparently just before Xmas and had never shot it...ok in the end she had actually NEVER shot a gun in her life...zero skill nor education on the subject !!NIL....flagged the teacher twice before he took the gun away from her...second lady...again very very little experience with firearms...at 5 yards didnt hit any better than the 8 ring on the B27 target...and not one single discernible group....and to think that these two ladies are going to be armed...in fact it was so bad that when the first lady flagged the instructor the first time i actually made my way back to my car and was behind the door shortly after...

This is all too common. There were at least 3 women in my class reading the instructions that came with the gun. I spoke with my instructor and he told me that this is the new normal. People, women primarily, that have never shot a gun are going straight to a CCP because they are scared. His class is packed every week.

Be happy your state has a test, all you need in Al or GA is a pulse and the $ for the permit application.

Wow that is kinda scary to think that ppl are getting these permits with no knowledge or skill at all. I have one comment on the printing of a gun.....I don't care. I could care less if it looks like I have a RPG stuck down the front of my pants. Someone knowing that I may have a pistol has never bothered me. In fact it may actually prevent someone that has the thought of making a possible bad choice. (Or I would be the first to get it one or the other) Comfort on the other hand is as important as the gun itself for the reasons already stated. If your not going to carry it to the point where you don't even notice it anymore than it's pointless. I have the luck of someone that would leave it the day my life or someone I love depended on it.

Gun Choice:

After you find a gun that is comfortable for you then choose your caliber. The way I choose caliber is based on timed shots and accuracy. Draw and take 5 shots in 3 secs at 10 yards.(just an example) Did you make clean shots or miss or should you choose something with less recoil to help accuracy? In a life and death situation being able to neutralize a threat as fast and efficient as possible is the diffrence in lives saved......So with that being said, finding a gun and caliber that is comfortable and you can operate the most effecient should be what makes your choice. This is all opinion so take it with a grain of salt.